Egyptian black cat statue

The cat was the animal sacred to the goddess Bastet and as such was regarded as the deity's earthly representative. During the first millennium BC the techniques of bronze casting improved greatly allowing for the production to be increased, and large numbers of bronze statuettes of seated cats have been found. The statuettes would be presented at the temple as a gift to the goddess, either to thank her for past favours or perhaps to encourage her to grant them in future. When the temple had acquired a large number of these votive offerings they would be removed and buried in large pits. This replica has been moulded from a bronze original now in the British Museum. The original dates from around 664-30 BC and is shown in the classic seated position.